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Crack of Doom

Willi Heinrich

Paperback | Pages: 320 pages

Rating: 3.91 | 77 Users | 6 Reviews

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Title	:	Crack of Doom
Author	:	Willi Heinrich
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	English Language Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 320 pages
Published	:	May 28th 1981 by Bantam Books (first published 1956)
Categories	:	Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. War. World War II. Novels

Relation To Books Crack of Doom

Dark, dismal, and disturbing, Willi Heinrich's Crack of Doom is a brutal anti-war novel that harks back to the vividness of Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" in it's gruesome portrayal of the Second World War. In the winter of 1945 as the Germans are forced into a bloody and agonizing retreat towards their own soil, almost no one is left untouched by the horrors of the Eastern Front. Commanders are told to claim victory in the face of impossibly overwhelming odds and the once proud armies of the Wehrmacht are nothing more than mangled battalions of mere hundreds. Despite their increasing losses, more blood must be gambled in a suicide mission to rescue a General abducted by Czech Partisans. Of the men assigned for this task include the reluctant Sergeant Kolodzi, a war-weary Captain Schmitt, and the likes of stubborn superiors such as Giesenger idiotically seeking promotion.

Heinrich gives his readers various viewpoints of the raging battles between the Germans, Partisans, and Russians, but unlike the more humanizing elements of Remarque's novel, Crack of Doom leaves little room for sympathy or heroism. Erratic Generals trying to save their own skin from court marshal are willing to waste countless lives in futile counter-attacks and local bands of Guerrillas who claim to be fighting for their country are just as willing to hang their own. It's almost impossible to genuinely care for any of the characters in this book who are out to save their own skin in a web of blame and betrayal, but Heinrich is a master at capturing the imagery and atmosphere of utter defeat. Though our general response to his protagonists is one of indifference, forlornness, or detest, the author reminds us that this is a story of characters struggling to survive in a world teetering on the edge of collapse. This is a world where those who try to remain true to a sense of duty and moral conviction will only be taken advantage of and where the phrase "honorable death" is just a synonym for suicide. Crack of Doom is a haunting reminder of pure total war where the common lines that separated humanity from barbarity, good from evil, are no longer relevant above the desire to survive.

Present Books During Crack of Doom

Original Title:	Crack of Doom ASIN B000LTPZ32
Edition Language:	English

Rating About Books Crack of Doom

Ratings: 3.91 From 77 Users | 6 Reviews

Judgment About Books Crack of Doom

Dark, dismal, and disturbing, Willi Heinrich's Crack of Doom is a brutal anti-war novel that harks back to the vividness of Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" in it's gruesome portrayal of the Second World War. In the winter of 1945 as the Germans are forced into a bloody and agonizing retreat towards their own soil, almost no one is left untouched by the horrors of the Eastern Front. Commanders are told to claim victory in the face of impossibly overwhelming odds and the once proud

Story line shows the conflicts of WWII German and Partisans and how they exist/fight and the tactical ways they use. The everyday experiences makes the story believeable.

Another great read by Heinrich. This one takes place inCzechoslovakia as the Russians are pushing the Germansout. Our man Sgt Kolodzi is mixed in the action withthe local partisans who have captured a General, hisown disenchantment with the war, and the new General,who wants to make a name for himself.Kolodzi is much like the Steiner prototype from the'Cross of Iron', a resourceful, brave, NCO who hasa certain dislike of authority.

In English language,translated from German,fiction,novel,military fiction,historical fiction,WWII,war fiction

I'd classify this as a military novel. It's told from the German point of view in World War II, and Heinrich fought in Russia in the war so he knows what he's talking about. It's superbly authentic and beautifully done. Slightly better than "Cross of Iron" in my opinion. Both are great books.



The cover made this look like the most dreadful pulp imaginable, but it's thoughtful and intelligent, covering a little-seen area of the war: German forces against partisans in Czechoslovakia. The author, a former soldier, creates a very human, personal tragedy in which nobody is wholly innocent or guilty.